232 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION. 



June,. 



tion. It is not proposed to actually irri- 

 gate the lands, but to build the large 

 works which will serve to make available 

 the waters now running to waste. 



The public lands to which the water 

 thus conserv'ed can be taken are to be 

 withdrawn from disposal, excepting 

 under the Homestead act. Settlers can 

 go upon these, taking up tracts of 40 

 acres or more and make homes, the land 

 itself being free to those who will per- 

 manently reside upon it. The water, 

 however, must be paid for, and the set- 

 tlers must construct their own works 

 for distributing the supply to the fields. 

 The money refunded by the settlers 

 in small annual installments goes back 

 into the reclamation fund, and is to be 

 used again for the construction of other 

 works. 



The principal objection to the bill has 

 arisen upon the ground of constitution- 

 ality, it being held that the government 

 could not improve its own lands, or ex- 

 ercise the privileges of a land-owner in 

 removing obstacles to development. 

 There has also been some opposition on 

 the part of the farmers' organization 

 known as the Grange, from the fear 

 that with the increase of tillable area in 

 the West, farm values in the East would 

 be reduced. This fear has been shown 

 to be groundless, since the development 

 of the arid region must proceed far more 

 slowly than the demands for land The 

 agricultural products of the West differ 

 widely from those of the East, and staple 

 crops are not raised to any considerable 

 extent under irrigation, and do not en- 

 ter the same markets as those of the 

 East. In short, the opposition from 

 this source has been based wholl}^ upon 

 ignorance of the true condition. 



With the passage of this act it will be 

 possible to i3roceed in a systematic man- 

 ner in the construction of large works, 

 to reclaim arid lands and create oppor- 

 tunities for home-making upon the pub- 

 lic domain. The benefits must be far- 

 reaching, affecting not only the states 

 where the lands are irrigated, but in- 

 creasing the commerce with the East, 

 and stimulating industry along many 

 lines. 



The full text of the bill, as amended, 

 is given herewith : 



AN ACT appropriating the receipts from the- 

 sale and disposal of public lands in certain 

 states and territories to the construction of 

 irrigation works for the reclamation of arid 

 lands. 



Be it enacted by the Senate and House 

 of Representatives of the United States, 

 of America in Congress assembled. That 

 all moneys received from the sale and 

 disposal of pvtblic lands in Arizona, Cal- 

 ifornia, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Mon- 

 tana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico,. 

 North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, 

 South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and. 

 Wyoming, beginning with the fiscal 

 year ending June thirtieth, nineteen 

 hundred and one, including the surplus 

 of fees and commissions in excess of 

 allowances to registers and receivers, 

 and excepting the five per centum of 

 the proceeds of the sales of public lands- 

 in the above states set aside by law for 

 educational and other purposes, shall be, 

 and the same are hereby, reserved, set 

 aside, and appropriated as a special fund 

 in the Treasury to be known as the 

 "reclamation fund," to be used in the 

 examination and survey for and the 

 construction and maintenance of irri- 

 gation works for the storage, diversion, 

 and development of waters for the rec- 

 lamation of arid and semi-arid lands in 

 the said states and territories, and for 

 the payment of all other expenditures 

 provided for in this act : Provided, That 

 in case the receipts from the sale and 

 disposal of public lands other than 

 those realized from the sale and dis- 

 posal of lands referred to in this section 

 are insufficient to meet the requirements 

 for the support of agricultural colleges 

 in the several states and territories, 

 under the act of August thirtieth, eigh- 

 teen hundred and ninety, entitled "An 

 act to apply a portion of the proceeds 

 of the public lands to the more com- 

 plete endowment and support of the 

 colleges for the benefit of agriculture 

 and the mechanic arts, established under 

 the provisions of an act of Congress ap- 

 proved July second, eighteen hundred 

 and sixty-two," the deficiency, if any, 

 in the sum necessary for the support of 

 the said colleges shall be provided for 

 from any moneys in the Treasury not 

 otherwise appropriated. 



